New Zealand Opera

New Zealand Opera NZ Opera is the face of professional opera in Aotearoa.

A homecoming to celebrate 🏠 Did you catch the cover story this week in Your Weekend magazine? We were thrilled to see th...
19/05/2026

A homecoming to celebrate 🏠

Did you catch the cover story this week in Your Weekend magazine? We were thrilled to see the incredible Sophie Sparrow - Soprano gracing the front page!

Sophie returns to Aotearoa to make her role debut with NZ Opera as the quick-witted and very funny Susanna in our upcoming season of The Marriage of Figaro. She chats about her journey from the international stage back to her home roots and why "coming home to perform with the national opera company is nothing short of a dream."

Subscribers can read the full story here: https://loom.ly/70m2xFA

Don’t miss your chance to see Sophie live on stage this June at the St. James Theatre, Wellington.

📸 Sacha Stejko

Nau mai, haere mai, tau mai rā e te whānau o Le Nozze di Figaro!It was such a pleasure to officially welcome The Marriag...
18/05/2026

Nau mai, haere mai, tau mai rā e te whānau o Le Nozze di Figaro!

It was such a pleasure to officially welcome The Marriage of Figaro cast, crew and creative team with a mihi whakatau at our studio in Parnell.

Before the true pace of our busy rehearsal period ramps up, it was a welcome opportunity to be together, greet new and familiar faces, and feel a shared excitement and anticipation for the mahi ahead of us.

It's hard to believe opening night is exactly a month away! We can't wait to share this production with you. Mauri ora!

Meet Barbarina and Antonio, played by Sarah Mileham and Joel Amosa.Barbarina is the daughter of Antonio, the household g...
17/05/2026

Meet Barbarina and Antonio, played by Sarah Mileham and Joel Amosa.

Barbarina is the daughter of Antonio, the household gardener. Antonio saw someone jump out of a window... but who was it??

We also have Andrew Grenon Andrew Grenon - Tenor playing two Dons – Don Curzio, a lawyer, and Don Basilio, the music teacher who loves to gossip!

We're taking part in ! 👚At NZ Opera, we connect with people by telling stories through the power of the human singing v...
14/05/2026

We're taking part in ! 👚

At NZ Opera, we connect with people by telling stories through the power of the human singing voice. And by people, we mean everyone! We exist for, arise from, and work with our communities, and we're proud to stand with this kaupapa of kindness and inclusion – not just today, but every day.

Awhi mai, awhi atu, tātou tātou e 💗

Pink Shirt Day Aotearoa Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

The first of a series! Introducing – the incredible cast and characters of The Marriage of Figaro.Meet Marcellina and Do...
14/05/2026

The first of a series! Introducing – the incredible cast and characters of The Marriage of Figaro.

Meet Marcellina and Doctor Bartolo, played by Kristin Darragh and Andrew Collis.

Bartolo holds a grudge against Figaro from years past, while Marcellina plots to prevent Figaro's wedding... Together they stir up plenty of comic chaos, and even stumble across a surprise relative towards the end of the opera!

Our fĂŠlicitations to Pene Pati, who has been made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and L...
13/05/2026

Our fĂŠlicitations to Pene Pati, who has been made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government.

What a well-deserved and beautiful honour. We are proud to celebrate you – magnifique!

📸 Olivia Kahler

TICKET GIVEAWAY"When I am at an opera, I get totally carried away ... I'm overwhelmed by the beauty of the music, the dr...
11/05/2026

TICKET GIVEAWAY

"When I am at an opera, I get totally carried away ... I'm overwhelmed by the beauty of the music, the drama, and the sound of human voice. It's like an electric current going through me. Justice and mercy, they're all in opera." – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

We love an opera-lover. Be in to win a double pass to Auckland Theatre Company and Auckland Live's RBG: Of Many, One!

The second woman to be appointed to the US Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was both a trailblazer in the American judiciary and a fierce advocate for gender equality and reproductive rights. Her life is brought to the stage by the extraordinary pen of Olivier Award-winning Australian playwright and expert legal mind, Suzie Miller.

If you haven’t seen it yet, now is your chance to witness the sensation that is “magnificent from start to finish” (Limelight).

We have two tickets to giveaway:
📅 7pm, Friday 22 May
📍 ASB Waterfront Theatre

To be in to win: Comment and tag whoever you’d take with you! Entries close at midnight, Sunday 17 May 2025.

At New Zealand Opera, we are dedicated to supporting emerging artists, finding opportunities to develop their talents, a...
07/05/2026

At New Zealand Opera, we are dedicated to supporting emerging artists, finding opportunities to develop their talents, and springboard their future successes. Part of the joy in this is checking in with our alumni, and we're excited to share what former NZ Opera Friedlander Foundation Associate Artist Eleanor Bishop has been up to!

Eleanor has recently returned to Aotearoa from New York, where the show Heartbreak Hotel – which she directed with contemporary theatre company EBKM – was playing a month off-Broadway.

Heartbreak Hotel first premiered in Hawkes Bay Festival in 2023 and has since toured to RISING festival in Melbourne, London's Soho Theatre, throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, before playing in New York. Later this year, it goes on to Luminato Festival in Toronto, a 5 week tour of Australia and to Court Theatre in Christchurch.

And that’s not all! She was selected as a member of Dame Jane Campions pop-up film intensive “A Wave in the Ocean” supported by Netflix where she made her first short film GIRL TIME which premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival last year. Incredible! We’re so proud to see Eleanor’s work making waves on the world stage.

Captions by Eleanor:
1. A photo from Heartbreak Hotel's opening night in New York!
2. And a production still (📸 Lewis Ferris)
3. Heartbreak Hotel in Tauranga in 2023
4. A red carpet photo from the 82nd Venice International Film Festival
5. And a still from GIRL TIME

Next Eleanor is back with us as Assistant Director for The Marriage of Figaro:

"I’m thrilled to be returning to the land of opera. Mozart’s music touches right into the soul and Lindy’s production is beautiful, hilarious and timely"

We were thrilled to see Moses Mackay awarded the 2026 Distinguished Alumni – Young Alumnus of the Year from the Universi...
06/05/2026

We were thrilled to see Moses Mackay awarded the 2026 Distinguished Alumni – Young Alumnus of the Year from the University of Auckland - Waipapa Taumata Rau, recognising his exceptional accomplishments. Congratulations Moses, these successes are so well deserved!

Allow us a moment to throwback to Moses' extraordinary performance as Raimbaud in our 2024 production of Le comte Ory 😬

📸 Lewis Ferris

Are you still looking for a Mother's Day gift? Give the gift of an unforgettable experience with New Zealand Opera!Wheth...
05/05/2026

Are you still looking for a Mother's Day gift?

Give the gift of an unforgettable experience with New Zealand Opera!

Whether it's the glorious chaos of The Marriage of Figaro or the tragic romance of The Pearl Fishers, our upcoming productions are bound to provide an artistic experience she'll never forget.

Our gift vouchers can be customised to your preferred amount, are valid for two years and will be emailed to you to send on with your personalised message.

shop.nzopera.com/gift/add

Tāwhiri Festivals and Experiences and NZ Opera are proud to announce a new partnership in support of the 2026 Kiri Te Ka...
04/05/2026

Tāwhiri Festivals and Experiences and NZ Opera are proud to announce a new partnership in support of the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest. Together, our organisations recognise the competition as one of the cornerstones of Aotearoa New Zealand’s operatic ecosystem. Through this collaboration, NZ Opera will provide professional stagecraft support for participants throughout the competition. This partnership seeks to ensure that, beyond performance, emerging artists receive pastoral and professional support at this important moment in their careers.

Tāwhiri produces the Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest.

📸 Hagen Hopkins

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